Sunday, November 23

So Tam posted this on her blog & suggested that 'everyone' join in so...........here are 16 things unusual things about me.................

1. I loathe raw meat....I hate to touch it, look at it, smell it, etc. While I eat meat regularly, it MUST be well done.

2. I hate to be a passenger in a car!! I like to drive, but being a passenger brings on a panic attack.

3. I ♥ Diet Coke ♥! Especially fountain Diet Coke....in fact Diet Coke is so important in my opinion that there is actually a hierarchy to the packaging of Diet Coke

A. Fountain Diet Coke is the VERY BEST!

B. If fountain isn't an option, a cold can will suffice

C. I will settle for a cold 16oz plastic bottle if necessary

D. And as a very last resort I will drink Diet Coke from a 2lt bottle, but only if it has just been opened otherwise it is too flat....blech!

4. When I was 4 my mom let my uncle, Stacy's husband, take me shopping at Kmart for my Halloween costume. Keep in mind he was a 19 year old boy & it was the 1970's. Mommy's little princess came home with a Gene Simmon's Kiss costume with a plastic mask that looked like this........

I had no idea who Kiss even was. I just liked that the masked had 'makeup.' Oh yeah...that was cute *insert sarcasm*

5.When I was 18, I cracked my head open & had to have stitches.....what makes this significant is that is HOW I did this. Instead of going sledding at the sledding hill during a big snow storm, my friends and I decided to tow a sled around the subdivision behind my Geo Metro. Yeah not so smart.......I flew off going around a corner & cracked my head on the pavement.

6. When I was a kid growing up in Ohio I was certain that upon adulthood I would be one of the lucky individuals who moved south (*read WARM)....Florida was the ultimate choice. And more that anything I wanted to own a swimming pool...................yeah, Alaska is just slightly off the mark on that one....

7. I hate random noise. Like when somebody taps their pencil or clicks their nails together...........ugh, it makes me sooooooo crazy! I also hate eating noises....like people chewing or moaning when they really enjoy their food. *shivers*

8. Although I don't mind a good debate in real life, I can't stand confrontations on TV or in movies. I HAVE to change the channel. Or if someone is about to totally embarass themselves on TV, I just can't bare to watch!

9. I am a nomad at heart. I love to travel & would love to move around....but I am married to the anti-nomad. He likes to vacation in places he in places he's already been to & he would rather that we never move again....I guess being a military brat (as he was) & then serving in the USAF for 22yrs, which requires a ton of moving, will do that to a person..........

10.I am the only person in my house who can't roll my tongue :( They treat me like I am some sort of freak

11. I really dislike "academic" speak. I am well educated & (not to brag) but quite intelligent, but I don't like when people try to use huge & complicated words to impress others. Being a human dictionary does not = intelligence...it just pretentious

12. I also really dislike pretentiousness in general.....I am not impressed by big houses or luxury cars. If you have those things then good on ya. I don't hate the 'things,' I just find it petty when people try to use them to somehow define themselves or impress others. That is the funny thing about Alaska (which can also probably be said for a lot of places in the U.S.), but the people who put on the biggest show are not usually the most successful. Okay...stepping down from my soapbox........

13. While I have very, very few possessions from my youth (like less than 5 total) I do still have & use the NIV Bible that my Dad gave me when I was 11.

14. I avoid "Hits" & "Bestsellers" like the plague. For instance if everyone raves about the hottest new book or TV show, I am instantly turned off. Yes, I know I often end up missing out, but I just don't like to 'jump on the band wagon'

15. I hate birds. Any & all birds! I don't fear them, I just don't like them. So if you really want to get on my bad side, buy me a bird feeder... Blech!

16. I had pica while I was pregnant. I ate ice incessantly...to the tune of a 10lb bag a day!! Destroyed my teeth, To this day I still can't drink a glass of water without chomping on the ice. And like Diet Coke, I also prefer certain types of ice over others....I especially like the type of ice that is like miniature snow balls. One friend pointed out it is the type of ice that they give you in the hospital when you are in labor. Yummy!! So that means, I will go out of my way to get a fountain Diet Coke with premium ice. That is like heaven....almost as good as a pool in Florida :)

Saturday, November 22

Yeah, I know my thesis is due in just over 2 weeks and I should be working on my paper 24/7 and yet I just spent several hours surfing the net & once I stumbled upon Cupcakes Take the Cake I was ♥IN LOVE♥! So please excuse me if my paper is absolute crap but I was doing major cupcake "research"!

Sincerely (yeah...not really...but it sounds good),

Stressed Out Student

Yeah...I have 'short timers" syndrome...big time! I am just so ready for the semester to be O-V-E-R! I should be thrilled that only 3 weeks seperates me from my diploma.....but all I can think about is how much I dread doing my remaining work. Blech! (Yes, I'll admit I am being totally bratty) But I do love looking at cupcakes.......Check this out....OHMommy @ Classy Chaos is having an uber fabulous giveaway so please so go...enter...NOW!

Wednesday, November 19

-1F. to be exact......bitter, stinking cold. And it is only mid-November. I have a feeling this winter is going to be a doosey. Such is life in the "Great Land." Yeah, whomever dubbed Alaska the "Great Land" definitely here in the summertime. Seriously.....

And if it isn't cold enough here in the Valley, tomorrow my mom and little R. are flying north for 4 days to Fairbanks. Yep.....they are choosing to go where it's even colder. Crazy, if you ask me! However, their trip has great purpose. Can you guess why anyone in their right mind would go to Fairbanks in the winter (hey, right now I myself am wondering why anyone would live in the Valley in the winter *wink*)? Well, the nightlife of Fairbanks is NOT the reason for this visit. In fact their reason for going is much more special...................

They are going to visit Santa Claus. At THE Santa Claus House. In the town of North Pole. Every little kid's dream. My mom took D. a few years ago & now it's R.'s turn to go. I love that my mom does this with my kids........it is one of those special things in one's childhood that will stay with them for a lifetime.

So while they head north, D & I will be hanging here at home. School (for the kids) is out for the remainder of the week & we are just going to enjoy the down time. Translated= D. will probably have a few sleepovers with her little tween friends while I have my face buried in textbooks.

On another note, I totally forgot to blog about something that happened here a few weeks ago......the Sunday after the election, I sat church and was totally blown away by the week's sermon. I am really bummed that I didn't blog right away because I intended to provide a link to the audio of the sermon....but now it's gone. Anyway......the message that week was from Romans and references government and leaders in relation to our responsibility as Christians. There is no way I can fully summarize the pastor's message but the piece that struck me above all was this (paraphrased)-

It doesn't matter at this point if we are happy with the election results or whether we like our future leaders or not .... at this point, God expects us to be prayerful.....to pray for our future leaders....all of them. To pray that they will act in the best interest of their nation and that the Lord will continue to work in their lives, as we should pray for all people.

It was very moving.....very, very moving. The entire congregation was touched (no matter where their stood before or after the election). And while the message of God was the most significant part of the morning, as I sat with my friend Aleisha (both of our hubbies were away at work), we noticed across the aisle to our left sat an older couple with tears streaming down their faces....yet they weren't really tears of sadness....instead you could see on their faces acceptance and agreement with the pastor's message. The couple was Chuck & Sally Heath.....Sarah Palin's parents. It was moving to see that these people who were so close to the election process were willing to accept God's task for them with open & willing hearts.

Okay...enough about that...I think you get my message.........

So....before I go for today, I once again want to ask for your recommendations for good books......nothing heavy....beach reads.....yep....there is some beach time in my future. More about that later :)

Saturday, November 15

Just a little over a month gas prices were shooting through the roof. At the worst gas here was about $4.70/gallon for regular (not even the expensive stuff). Seriously.....I was getting ready to make the kids start biking to school- not a good thing in winter in Alaska.And now gas is here is below $3.00/gallon....$2.94 to be exact! So.....again how pathetic is it that I am happy about see less than $3.oo at the pump? Really pathetic if you ask me................

Sunday, November 2

I don't care if we did gain an hour last night or not 'cuz I am still way tired

We bought entirely too much crap @ our school auction last night. Well not really crap.....but when the check to the school was more than we spend on a month's groceries, you know we spent too much! But the hubs keeps reminding me 'it was for the children.' And I must admit I am oh-so-grateful that it is our schools ONE & ONLY fundraiser. Plus we had an absolute blast (our table was just a tad bit rowdy)! What did we buy you ask???? Well.....hubs got Rock Band 2 for his Xbox 360,we bought D. a handmade bedside table for her room, we bought a certificate to Bouncin' Bears for R.'s birthday (yeah we are just a bit ahead of the game since his b-day isn't until March), I got a beaded bracelet.......oh, and we *think* we won a Bocce Ball set- we just forgot to pick it up off the silent auction table! Oops!

Can I tell you how sick of school I am??? Just in case you were wondering....................... enough said!

I am sooooo read for all of the election crap to be over. All of the mudslinging is making me crazy!

Did I tell you I am sick of school?

My CAbi order came in & I love every piece of it! :)

Yeah.....has anyone started Christmas shopping? I really gotta get on the ball with this. Ugh!

Can I tell you how irritated I was to see a 5th grader in D's class wear an uber slutty costume on Friday at school. Yes...sadly I did say 5th grader & slutty in the same sentence. I feel bad about that but seriously when an 11 year old shows up to school in thiswhat I just said is the least of some poor kid's issues...................... And NO I am not kidding :(

My friend Zoe (who actually is a diehard liberal, while I am a diehard conservative) have decided we are tired of all the PC terminology out there. As my hubs says, he is an American....not a Mexican American or Hispanic American....he insists he is an American & that's that! So in protest she & I have decided from here on out we will introduce each other as "Female Americans" just to appease all of those P.C. junkies out there. Yeah....it's getting to be that time of the semester & we are a bit irritatable.......

So it is really cold here (like low single digits) and I am dreaming of spring already.......so soooooooo sad.....